Their flight had gotten delayed three times and the agents had spent almost all day traveling. Scully and Mulder were both completely exhausted when they finally landed at Regan International airport at almost two in the morning. While Mulder continued to enjoy his work on the X-Files, he would happily do without the constant travel. Luckily, both Scully and Mulder traveled light. They simply grabbed their carry-on bags and headed out to hail a cab.

Mulder gave the taxi driver Scully's address. She gave Mulder a soft smile in return, appreciating the gesture of letting her get dropped off first. The traffic at this time of night was fairly light. The cab driver glanced in the rearview mirror back at the two tired agents.

"You look as if you had a hard flight?" The driver said in a softly accented voice.

"Is it that obvious?" asked Scully as she rubbed her forehead.

The cab driver chuckled softly. "I know how it is. My family - still back in Kenya. Whenever I fly there. Oh, terrible! Tell me, did you have crying babies?" Both agents gave the cab driver a quizzical look. "On your flight," he explained, "did you have babies who cry?"

"Two. And the teenager behind me kept kicking my seat." Mulder said. There were times when Mulder hated working for the federal government, and those times when he had to fly coach were high up on the list. The cab driver and Mulder continued to trade airport horror stories, until Mulder became aware of a familiar heaviness on his left shoulder. He looked over to see that Scully was fast asleep. The cab driver glanced into the rear view mirror to see why Mulder had stopped speaking so abruptly and saw that Mulder's attention was now on his sleeping partner. The driver smiled and the rest of the drive to Scully's apartment was made in silence.

The city lights blinking by the cab windows illuminated Scully's pale face. After years working together Mulder knew every curve of her face by heart and yet as he studied her peaceful visage he was once again reminded of his partner's beauty. Mulder could see her eyes moving under her eyelids and he wondered about her dreams. Mulder gently brushed a strand of her hair out of her face. Scully sighed and snuggled closer to him, but didn't wake. Mulder smiled. He felt so content just sitting in that cab with the lights of DC flickering by the windows and feeling her soft even breathing.

The cab pulled in front of Scully's apartment building, but Mulder didn't have the heart to wake her. He paid the driver the fare, being careful as he went for his wallet to not jostle her too much. He then carefully extricated himself from the cab, leaning her head against the back of the seat as he left. He quietly whisper to the cab driver an offer of some more money if the driver could carry their bags inside, so that Mulder could carry Scully in. The cabbie nodded his agreement. Mulder turned back to his sleeping partner and carefully reached into the back seat and lifted Scully out of the cab and into his arms. It amazed him how this woman, who could stare down aliens, monsters and the worst government conspiracies known to man, could feel so light and fragile as he cradled her in his arms.

As Mulder walked to Scully's front door, the cabbie followed with their luggage. "I am sure you and your wife are glad to be home," he whispered. Mulder thought about correcting him, but as he looked down at Scully's face leaning against his chest, he realized he didn't want to have to say the words. Mulder knew in his heart, that he would gladly die to protect this woman, and that he would sacrifice everything he had just to make her happy. Wasn't that enough, or must he always be forced to admit that he and Scully didn't share the romantic relationship he wished they did?

Instead of correcting the driver, Mulder simply whispered. "Could you get the key for the door? It will be in her coat pocket."

The driver carefully fished the keys out, unlocked the door and set the suitcases inside the door. He set Scully's keys on top of one of the bags. Meanwhile, Mulder gently lay Scully down on the couch, so he could give the driver a tip and his thanks. The driver left closing Scully's apartment door quietly behind him.

Mulder went to Scully's bedroom and flicked on the lights and turned down the sheets and then went back to the couch. He gently lifted her and carried her to her waiting bed. He pulled off her shoes, marveling that anyone could ever walk much less run in the high heels she was always wearing.

Mulder looked at her lying peacefully in her bed, still dressed in her skirt suit. He imagined that this wouldn't be the most comfortable clothes to sleep in and while he desperately wanted that fact alone to be sufficient excuse to remove them, he knew that here were two good reasons why he shouldn't. The first reason was a simple pracitical reason. Although Scully could fall asleep easily, as demonstrated countless times during their late night stake-outs, Mulder also knew that his partner was, in reality, a fairly light sleeper. He was actually amazed that he had gotten her inside without her waking up. He was sure if he began pulling at her clothes it would wake her and he wanted her to rest.

Yet there was a second reason he knew he couldn't undress Scully. In the past, when Mulder was ill, Scully had undressed him, yet she seemed to be able to do so with a medical detachment to what she was doing. He knew he would have no such detachment. If Mulder were to start to undress his partner, a thousand sexual fantasies that he had of her would suddenly spring to mind at just a glimpse of her pale skin. Even as he sat here now on the edge of her bed pondering the idea, he felt a tightness in his boxers that immediately let him know it was a bad idea.

So with a sigh, he lifted himself from her bed and gently tucked the covers around her. He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. He was then about to turn to leave, when he noticed her necklace. The gold cross necklace that she almost always wore glittered there against her skin. Mulder worried about letting her sleep in it. He could see the clasp along the side of her neck and Mulder bent down to try to unhook it, but when he pulled on the chain, it pulled some of her hair that was entangled in the chain.

"Oww!" She cried with a start.

"Oh Scully, I am sorry." Mulder said softly. "I was trying not to wake you."

"I know you were, but you'll have to do better than that if you want me to sleep through everything," she said as a sly smile played on her lips.

It took Mulder a moment to realize the truth and when he did he couldn't help laughing. "OK, so how long have you been faking it?"

"Oh, just a little while."

"How long?" demanded Mulder.

"Long enough to know that there is a cab driver out there who thinks that you're Mr. Scully."

"You've been awake that long!"

Scully laughed. "I know you tried, but I woke up when you were pulling me out of the cab."

"Why didn't you let me know?"

"Why should I walk if I can get carried instead," she teased.

"Next time I'm going to make you carry me," said Mulder in mock indignation.

Mulder was enjoying the playful banter with his partner, he always did, but in the back of his mind he knew he needed to go.

"Well, it's late. I should go call a cab and go to my apartment. Let you go to sleep...for real this time."

Scully smiled, but as he turned away from her, her expression changed to mirror her inner conflict. She wondered, should she or shouldn't she? Mulder was at the bedroom door when she finally got the guts to call out ot him.

"Mulder wait!"

Mulder turned back to Scully who desperately hoped that none of her current internal thoughts could be seen in her face.

"Tomorrow is the weekend, we don't have to get up for work, and it's late," she said glancing at the clock which showed the time as 2:43am. "Why don't you just sleep here, you could go to your apartment in the morning?"

Mulder thought for a moment and then nodded. "Thanks, I would appreciate it."

She smiled.

Mulder went into the living room, he opened his suitcase and began to change his clothes.

Scully closed her bedroom door, and began to remove her suit, but she found herself quickly distracted as she replayed the events of the evening.

Scully remembered getting in the cab, and the friendly discussion that ensued. She remembered how the sound of her two companions' voices became more and more dim to her as she felt sleep overtake her. Then she was in Mulder's arms kissing him passionately as she felt him move inside her. It was gently love making and she sighed as she enjoyed the pleasure of every thrust. He gently brushed the hair from her eyes, and they stared into each other's eyes before once again falling into a passionate kiss. She sighed as she enjoyed the smell of his skin and his every caress. She moved forward to kiss his neck, when suddenly she felt his strong arms gently lifting her. The sensation gently woke her as it took her a moment to realize that this feeling was not part of her dream. She didn't open her eyes, but the sound of the footsteps on the pavement and the quiet rustle of leaves let her know that Mulder was really carrying her in his arms.

So many times, when she woke from her sexual dreams and fantasies of Mulder, it was to the cold reality that she was in bed by herself, and more often than not, separated from Mulder by the thin, plaster and wood divide of yet another hotel room wall. So, as the reality of her current situation dawned on her, she couldn't bear to open her eyes and end the charade, but instead she moved her head closer to his chest enjoying the sound of his heart beating and the feel of his arms around her.

"I am sure you and your wife are glad to be home."

It took all of Scully's control, not to let a sad sigh escape her lips at the sound of the cab driver's statement. She kept her eyes closed and her breathing regular as she waited for the inevitable. How often had it happened: some victim, some witness, or some member of law enforcement, would suggest that she and Mulder were husband and wife or girlfriend and boyfriend and those statements were always corrected either by Mulder or herself, by stating that, no, in fact, they were just partners, co-workers, friends, but never the lovers that they were in her dreams. Scully kept her eyes closed and waited to hear Mulder offer up their standard correction.

"Could you get the key for the door? It will be in her coat pocket."

If there was ever a moment during the entire evening when her eyes almost came open it would have been now. He didn't correct him. Scully knew in her heart that it didn't change the truth. They weren't married. He wasn't her husband. She wasn't his wife. But still - Mulder hadn't corrected him. He hadn't denied it. As she felt him gently lower her to her couch, she felt a warm feeling wash over her at that thought. In some ways she felt silly that it should have such a big effect on her. She knew it wasn't true, but it allowed her to live in the illusion. So when, he lifted her up from the couch and carried her to her bed, she allowed herself to fantasize that he was in fact her husband, her boyfriend, or her lover and that when he placed her down in that bed they would help each other out of their uncomfortable suits and make love before finally falling asleep in each others arms. But reality set in, as she knew it had to, when instead of undressing her, she felt him pull up the covers. She expected to hear his footsteps heading toward the door, but instead she felt his lips gently kiss her forehead. She suddenly realized she didn't want him to leave and just as she was pondering whether or not she should open up her eyes and reveal her con the painful tug of her necklace on her hair shocked her into opening her eyes.

She shook her head to bring herself back to the present. She heard Mulder close his suitcase and knew that he had already changed for bed while, due to being distracted, she had barely started. She heard him head for the bathroom and knew she didn't have much time to make up her mind. She reviewed her options.

There was the safe option. She could get ready for bed. Mulder would undoubtedly take her offer as an invitation to sleep on her couch. Afterall this was the man who had, in his own apartment, slept on a couch for the first five years she had known him. And they could keep their relationship as it had been for so long. But was that what she wanted? There had been so many times when their relationship might have changed. She remembered the New Year's kiss Mulder had given her. The passionate warmness of it was burned into her memory. But neither one seemed to know what to do after the kiss, it was as if they had been platonic so long they didn't know how to be anything else. Maybe she should just leave their relationship as it was and just hope sometime Mulder took the initiative. But why should she leave it to him? She was a modern woman - independent and strong. If she wanted a sexual relationship with him why shouldn't she be willing to take the lead and if he turned her down, so be it.

Suddenly, she was no longer undecided she wasn't going to take the safe option.

Mulder had changed into his t-shirt and pajama bottoms, and was about to make himself comfortable on Scully's couch, when Scully entered. She was wearing a soft green silk nightgown. The spaghetti straps attached to a simple neckline that showed a bit of cleavage. There were no frills or ruffles but it clung nicely to her curves with a hemline that was just above her knees. It wasn't negligee, but at the same time Mulder had seen Scully dressed for bed before and knew that she usually wore more full coverage pajamas. Scully walked into the kitchen and Mulder watched as she got herself a glass of water.

She entered the living room with the glass of water "Getting ready for bed?" She asked.

"Well, getting ready for couch," said Mulder with a smile as he indicated the couch. He had already grabbed the pillow and blanket from the hall closet.

"I know you are use to sleeping on the couch and if you would be more comfortable here that's fine, but if you want to sleep on a bed I can make room."

"A bed definitely does sound more comfortable than a couch, but, um.." he paused trying to figure out exactly what she was offering. "Do you mean sleep side by side, in the same bed, but as if there is a wall between so we don't disturb each other's sleep?"

"We can sleep that way if you would like," she said but then set the water glass down and walked over to him. She took his hand. "But I am wondering if instead of putting walls up, it isn't time to start tearing them down."

This was unexpected. Mulder paused trying to believe she was really offering what he thought she was offering.

When Mulder didn't respond immediately Scully gave Mulder's hand a sqeeze and then getting up on her tip toes she gave him a kiss on the cheek. She continued, "I am not trying to put you in an uncomfortable position if you want to say no, you can..."

Mulder leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Scully hadn't been expecting that response, but as he deepened the kiss it filled her with warmth just like that New Year's Kiss.

When their lips parted she smiled. "Is that a yes?"

Mulder smiled back. "That was definitely a yes."

Scully kept hold of Mulder's hand, as they both walked back to the bedroom.